Eating and Breastfeeding

peanuts are not that great of a food to eat anyway--they almost always have mold growing on them. If you and family don't have seed or nut allergies there are many "butters" available. I would avoid the soy butter as unfermented soy is difficutl to digest. I love almond butter, and my daughter loves sunflower seed butter, there is also cashew, sesame, pecan etc.

I don't think eating specific foods will cause allergies. I think some kids just have them since it runs in the family. For some allergies, I have read that environmental chemicals can cause allergies by lowering the immune system while the infant is still in the womb. I haven't heard of anything that you can do to prevent ever having allergies.

My whole family has allergies. I never really had them until after I had my second son. It's an immune system response. It's not an ailment or preventable. It can be treated by helping the body build the immune system with allergy shots.

If you've been eating peanut buttor for 6 months with no affect, then I would think you're fine. Perhaps you might wait to give the baby peanut butter straight until she's a year or two. The reaction is less severe when they're older. Most people grow out of the severe allergies gradually.

My brother had allergy shots since he was in elementary school. As an adult he no longer needs them. My father had severe allergies needing to take shots several times a day. After he moved, he rarely has any allergic reactions as all.

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You are not a horrible mom!!! You sound like a great mom! Doctors differ on so many things. A coworker and I were pregnant at the same time. Her doc told her she could eat peanut butter, mine said no. Her doc said she could have tuna once a week. Mine said no tuna, and that I should have only been eating it once a week while I was TRYING to get pregnant!! I agree with you that this is a topic that you don't hear much about until you have a problem, and I wish there were some more solid answers out there.

Hi E.,
I can tell you that from my own personal experience of nursing my son for more than 2 years and ate peanut butter, too. It doesn't necessarily cause peanut allergies.
My son is three and has had a healthy dose of mother's milk while I ate all kinds of things, within reason, and he is healthy, has a dynamite appetite and enjoys very healthy foods, including peanut butter. I remember being told this while I was pregnant and early on, but I don't think it always turns out as an allergy. My son has been in a home with 2 cats and a dog since birth and has no allergy to animals, either. I think alot of this is speculation. Some of the stuff you hear out there is just silly!
(Like old-wives tales about pregnancy and rearing children.)
There could be numerous causes for allergy. What does your mother's intuition tell you?
Ask your family physician to advise you about this, especially since your first does have a peanut butter allergy, for whatever reason.
Look it up on the internet, too, get specifics about research conducted on breastfed babies and mothers.
Be cautious, but not freaked out.
Good Luck to You!
MJacobs

I actually have heard about this possibly causing allergies and it's been well over a year, maybe two or longer. That said, I just read a story saying an ingredient in peanuts has benefits to babies that can increase IQ, verbal skills, etc. My oldest, who is now 7 was diagnosed with a tree nut allergy(not peanuts though) so I was advised to not give my youngest, who is almost 6 peanut butter until she was 3. We did that and so far she has no food allergies. You can only do so much and I tried to do the best for both of my kids. I breastfed the first for a year but had to supplement with formula because I went back to work. My daughter was breastfed for 14 months and never had formula. I was very careful with food introduction, they had nothing until 6 months, no meats, citrus or egg whites until a year of age. We also have two cats and have for 9 years. Still both have indoor/allergies and my son has allergy shots. What I am saying is you do the best you can but sometimes allergies just happen and there is absolutely nothing you can do. Since eating the peanut butter really does bother you maybe you could try something else like Nutella? Maybe almond butter if you can find it or make it? Good luck and don't be hard on yourself. You didn't know!

First, you certainly are NOT a horrible mom! If anything, you were one who wasn't educated on this topic. That is completly different!
Second, yes, studies have found that EXCESSIVE exposure to a single food either while breastfeeding or while pregnant (it can cause the same allergies if exposed in utero) can cause allergies to that food in an allergy prone person. This person would tend to have a bent toward being allergic anyway, but overdosing on a single food causes them to be allergic to that thing. That being said, there is no way to know that your son wouldn't have been allergic to peanuts even if you hadn't eaten so many of them!
The sky-high food allergy rate in our country is due to an overly-clean society. Immune systems that generations ago had to fight off bad stuff like the plauge and typhoid are now only dealing with gross germs from the bathroom or dirty floor, and not many of those at that. The lack of any "real" job to do has caused immune systems in some people to overreact to some innocuous thing, like peanuts or cats. The immune system reacts to this harmless stimuli like its a horrible thing. (You probably know this since your son has food allergies, but I'm kind of surprised that your doctor or allegist hadn't told you to avoid bluking up on certain things, like peanuts, the second time you were pregnant/nursing, so I just thought I would put it out there for anyone who didn't know the reason already!)
The best thing you can do, for yourself and for your baby while you are pregnant and nursing is to eat a vaired diet. That way, your body avoids being too heavy on one certain food so that it is less likely to overreact to any foods. Plus, it gives ou the biggest variety of nutrients, so it's healthiest for you!

I don't know about this new study, so I can't comment on that, but I have breastfed for 4 years straight (2 kids) and I have never heard that the mom has to limit her diet at all. I have, in fact, always heard the opposite. It is very rare for something in the mom's diet to affect the baby. You would even need to drink 6 or more cups of coffee a day for it to affect the baby. If I were you, I'd read the actual study and see who did the study and how well-respected they are. Also read to see that proper scientific procedure was followed and that the study has been duplicated at least once. Many times a very small study is done and not very scientifically and all of a sudden the whole world takes it for Gospel Truth! (sorry if you're not a Christian, I just couldn't think of another expression - I'm sleep deprived!) Anyway, do more research and don't panic. And above all, don't blame yourself for your son's allergies. Regardless of what we may find out about allergies, you did the best you could with the knowlege you had at the time and that is all anyone can do!

Here is a list of CURRENT (subject to change) peanut free snacks http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/RO/parent/peanut-freesnacks...

and
http://www.walledlake.k12.mi.us/llake/peanut_free_snack_s...

and here is a website that sells everything from candy bars to granola that is 'peanut free' http://www.peanutfreeplanet.com/

as for your sons other allergies I'm not sure if the things are safe or not so be sure to check them out but that is a good resource for anyone with a sweet tooth and a peanut allergy.

I have a tree not allergy that runs in my family. I was told by my lactation consultant to avoid nuts while breastfeeding. They did say it was ok during pregnancy. My first child is three now( I followed the same protocal with him), I have recently had him tested for the nut allergy and he is currently allergy free. We have begun letting him eat the nuts and have nut yet had any reactions. I would say if you plan on continuing to breastfeed you should eliminate the peanut butter. My sister that has a childwith the nut allergy did not change her diet for either one of her breastfeeding experiences and has one child with the allergy and one without. Her allergist told her that the first child is more prone to get allergies than any other children that she may have. Good luck.

I heard that theory several years ago when I was nursing my now-5-year-old. I also heard that there's no proof. They simply do not know one way or the other. Some studies show a connection and just as many studies show that it doesn't matter what mom eats when pregnant or breastfeeding. I nursed my son for well over a year and ate alot of peanut butter - same thing with my now-2-year-old. No allergies at all in either of them. I'm currently nursing my 7 month old and intend to continue for awhile... and not give up peanut butter. Organic peanut butter is actually very healthy with lots of good fat and protein (I'm not a big meat eater).

Do not blame yourself for your son's allergy!!! None of the scientists have a clue what causes the peanut allergy. There are lots of theories, though. Some say it's the formula that causes it. They do agree on one thing, though... there's a specific 'marker' in the brain or something in the DNA that can trigger it... they just don't know what that trigger is yet.

Hi! I am a mother of three, a girl who is 10, and two boys who are 7 & 4. I nursed all of my children for the 1st year and my daughter for about 27 months. I ate peanut butter everyday too and none of my children have allergies to peanuts. I have never been one to believe every test I hear about, so I would try to find out if anyone in your family has peanut allergies. I know this type of allergy is more common that it was 10-20 years ago. When I was in school, I had never heard of it, but now I know at least 5 families who have a child who is allergic to peanuts. I wouldn't stop eating peanut butter, but if you like you could monitor your child's behavior after you have had pb and see if it effects her. You may want to talk to someone in the La Leche League in your area...they are wonderful at answering questions about nursing. I know with my first child I worried about everything I ate, but with each child I didn't feel as restricted and just tried to eat a balance of foods. Breastfeeding my children was one of the happiest times I had with my babies...the time goes by too quickly!!! Enjoy your special time together! Debbie

Yes, I have been told that eating peanut butter while breastfeeding could increase the chance of your child having allergies to peanuts. I would definitely stop eating it iof I were you.
My husband's family has a history of peanut allergies (though neither my husband or I have these allergies) and our pediatrician not only said to hold off on giving our daughter any kind of nut until she was three, but she told us we should be a nut-free home until then.
As for your diet, I too eat very little meat and love peanut butter (especially during pregnancy). I'd recommend beans. Black beans, lentils, hummus, eggs... for getting your protein in place of your peanut butter.

My sister's baby has many allergies that they discovered while she was breastfeeding. He had terrible skin breakouts when she would eat peanuts. Once they figured out what was going on she had to feed herself as if she had his allergies while she was breastfeeding. They don't believe she caused his allergies, which also include wheat, milk and eggs (oh, and dogs too!). They are supposed to keep these out of his diet until he turns 2, hopefully he will outgrow them by then! Does that mean we should also keep milk, eggs and wheat out of our kids' diets until they turn 2 just in case?I suppose that you could eat soy nut butter instead if you are concerned. My pediatrician gave us the ok for peanut butter when my daughter turned 1, and so far she loves PBJs, but I have also read the research that you should keep them away from it until they turn 2, especially if you have strong allergies in your family genes. Anyway, I guess until there is hard and fast proof, we moms will just keep doing what we're doing! Gotta trust yourself, good luck!

I am the mother to 5 breastfed kids. Some of mine have food allergies. I have never heard that what I ate could cause food allergies. I know that the possibility was passed down through heredity. 2 of mine are allergic to seafood & I promise you they didn't get that through my breastmilk! I hate seafood! I was always told you pass the ability to become allergic to your children. Their bodies determine what they're allergic to. I know if they're allergic to something you eat while breastfeeding they can react. My first child was allergic to eggs{as well as peanuts & nuts} & every time I ate something that contained eggs he would vomit everywhere! This started at the hospital the first day I fed him, so I don't feel I caused the allergy. Regardless, there are many mistakes you will make in raising your children & if this is true, just move forward instead of looking back. You can't change what has already happened, so just move on & do your best from this day on. Good luck!

No, you are not a horrible mom!! I too have a daughter who is allergic to dairy, egg whites, peanuts/nuts...she is almost 2 now. I breastfed her until she was 13 months old. When I took her to an allergist at 18 months, he did ask if I stopped eating all allergins while breastfeeding once I found out that she had one allergy. The answer of course was NO because no one ever told me I should. The reason behind the idea of eliminating all alergins once they have an allergy is becuase they can become sensitized to the allergin through the breast milk. It is possible that if your child was never exposed through your breast milk, he MAY have out grown the allergy by age 3. However, you did not cause the allergy. He was born with the genetic makeup that does not allow him to process those protiens. If you are seeing an allergist, I would talk to him/her. It may be suggested that you discontinue eating peanuts since you have one child with an allergy. I am preggers with my 2nd and will be speaking to my allergist in May about how to approach breastfedding with my 2nd. Good luck and don't be so hard on yourself! If you have any further questions, I'd be happy to help! Feel free to PM me!! H.

btw- soynut butter is a good alternative to peanut butter and is high in protien.

I am a mother of three ages 5, 3 and a half, and 1 and a half. All three of them I breast fed for at least a year. I love peanut butter and ate probably everday (and still do). My kids don't have any allergies and breast feeding is supposed to make it less likely for your kids to have allergies. My kids love peanut butter so i think if you'r kids are going to be allergic they're going to be and its nothing that is your fault.

You are NOT a horrible mom!!!!!!! I haven't heard of the study, but then again I haven't breastfed a baby in 11 years. I have eaten peanut butter every single day of my life and my kids have had no problems. I don't think they really know why peanut allergies have become so prevalent. Talk to your pediatrician. Just always remember, unless you are beating or neglecting your children, you are NOT a bad mom.

I also heard about the study, but I didn't avoid peanut butter at all. My husband has bad allergies to peas/beans/nuts, so we were somewhat worried that our son would also have bad allergies. My son is now almost 15 months, and although we have not allowed him to have peanut butter in great amounts, yet, he doesn't seem to be sensitive to it. I still breastfeed him, and I eat peanut butter quite often. Also, while I was at the car dealership one of the salesman thought he was being helpful to purchase and give my son crackers with peanut butter, he asked me before giving them to him and I scraped some of the peanut butter off, but he did just fine. I don't think that this new finding is a hard and fast rule. If you think that your family might be unusually sensitive, then maybe you should cut it out for awhile, but I don't think you 'caused' your older son to have the allergy.

This morning the Today Show featured a story about "Germs and Your Health" and how we are seeing incredible increases in auto immune diseases and allergies. There are two leading directions scientists are leaning. One is that we are over cleaning in our homes and that there is an over obsession with cleanliness ... experts believe by removing all the germs in our homes we are doing more harm than good. And two is genetic triggered by the environment - links to the over 80,000 chemicals in our environment, in our foods, homes and work places are believed to be causing increases in these and other diseases. A doctor joined Matt Lauer after the report and specifically discusses research at Duke University on children with peanut allergies.

You can view this video from the today show - just copy this link into your browser.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23790718#23790718

I have a natural health business and I work with Moms and families on health issues and creating a healthy - safe home. I would love to share some information with you if you are interested.

Tammy Mutter
www.naturalandsafe.com

I ate a TON of peanuts while I was nursing (for extra protien) and my 19 mo DD has a peanut allergy. I, too, have thought that I was responisble for this allergy, since neither my husband or I have any food allergies. I don't have any answers...just wanted you to know I'm there too!

dont recieve that curse! eating peanut butter will not give your child allergies to anything, that is a total fabrication.

You sound like a wonderful, consciencious MoM to me.. I have never heard of getting a peanut allergy from Breastfeeding ( I b.f. all four of my children). When did your 3 1/2 yr. old develop the allergy? Just call the pedi or even one of the nurses on Call at your local hospital maternity ward. Hope this helps..

Don't believe what they say about what you eat while you breastfeed. You can eat anything you want except for alcohol, of course. It bothers me that so many people out there say you have to be careful what you eat, so it doesn't bother your baby. They are all myths.

Hi E.,
I am the mother of six healthy children, no allergies, and with my set of twins that are two, I craved peanut butter and even ate it melted over popcorn. I also ate it the whole time I nursed them, and I nursed them until they were 16 months. I haven't read the study, I just know that all my children are healthy and none have allergies.
-Trish

hi,
I don't know about giving your daughter a peanut allergy just by eating it, but I do know that they get what you eat through your breast milk. My daughter cried for the first year of her life and the doctors kept telling me there was nothing wrong with her. I finally switched doctors and I told him there was something wrong with her and he needed to figure out what it was. He sent us to riley and then they sent us to an allergist. She had a milk allergy. I had already quite breastfeeding, but I could have helped her by cutting out all milk from my diet. After she stopped getting milk her little face looked like it just unswelled. I didn't realize that her face was swollen and I felt horrible for making her endure that for that long. If your son has a peanut allergy I would quite eating peanut butter just for that reason. You certainly are not a horrible mommy! If you were, you wouldn't be asking this question and you just wouldn't care. I felt the same way and I decided that I was doing the best I could. It is very hard to find someone to answer a breastfeeding question straight. I found that they all want to refer you to someone else. If you need any help I would suggest a lactation counselor. That is the person that I felt that I could always call and get a straight answer out of. Good luck to you.

NOOOOO! You are not a terrible mother. Even if it is proven that peanut butter can cause allergies. We can't protect our kids from dangers that we don't know about. Please don't be so hard on yourself. You are doing a wonderful thing for your children with the breastfeeding. You are providing them the very best start they can have.
Now as far as the allergies go. I've never heard that. I craved peanut butter when I breastfed. Go figure, I hated peanut butter before. Anyway, my son was and is just fine. He is 19 mo old now and I haven't noticed any allergies except squash and believe me I've never eaten squash. I think that sometimes things might be over analyzed. I'm not sure that I would eat peanut butter every day, just in case. Perhaps you can find other sources of protein. I'm not a big meat eater either. What about nutritional shakes (check with your doc first on the safety of that), or maybe tuna once a week. Are you still on your prenatal vitamins? They will help a lot. You might call your local wic office and ask them for information on alternate sources of protein for breastfeeding mothers. Tell them of your concern.
Most importantly, DON'T be so hard on yourself. Mamas are still human. We sometimes do make a small mistake or 2 (even though most of us never admit to it). I mean 60 years ago, I doubt that women realized smoking was bad for their babies. They use to smoke in hospital rooms. You can't fault yourself for not having information that the rest of the world didn't have either. Good luck to you, Shannon

I am a vegetarian and ate Peanut butter everyday while breastfeeding both of my kids for a year. Neither of them have peanut allergies. I heard what you heard from a friend, but my OB and the kids pediatricians told me to keep eating peanut butter and not to worry. I would ask your pediatrician to see what they think. Don't blame yourself for their allergies,though.

I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 month old. Like you I work out and I eat pb all the time. I ate it as a staple both of my pregnancies and with my first son. My first son loves pb and eats it all the time he is fine. with my 4 month old I have noticed he seems to have some stomach issues after me eating pb or nuts so I have eliminated it. I did see the study and had some concerns. I would discuss it with your doctor as I plan to do today at my appt for my 4 month old.